End of Year sum-up

12/17/2011

Mission now:  PHYSICAL FITNESS!!!

I started walking and dong weight loss programs on the exercise bike this week.  Overdid it a little on the walking…I aggravated my sacroiliac. WAH!!!  So, now I’m seeing my chiropractor to un-aggravate it.

12/23/2011

Saw Dr. Taylor (my wonderful bone cracker) 3 times this week and feel better.  It will take another week to get back to exercise shape though.  Sometimes we want things too much and over shoot our goals.

Today is a day for remembrance… Beautiful Maureen…today is her year anniversary, as well as ours for mourning.  I’m gonna head to South Jersey to see the folks overnight then bring them back up here for a 3-night 4-day stay over at the Marriott up the street for Christmas weekend.  It’ll be a mini-getaway for them and bring the family together for Christmas.

I VERY THANKFUL to see this Christmas and look forward to the NEW Year ahead.  What wonders will it bring?  My eyes look to the future in anticipation.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!!

Her EVER Smiling Face

12/9/2011 I'M DONE!!!!!

Iiiiiiii'm FREE!!!!!  http://youtu.be/rGa70tVYVKo
Today was MY LAST DAY OF RADIATION!!!!!! 
The END to a heck of a year.
I am THANKFUL for all my supporters and Loved ones always there to BOOST ME UP and help me out!!  It would have been a truly miserable year without YOU ALL!

12/1/2011 -- OK...one more time!

HAPPY DECEMBER!!
Whelp, tomorrow was SUPPOSED to be the last boost of radiation day, BUT…this past Monday I saw the doctor before my scheduled boost.  It was then she confirmed what I pretty much already knew (and dreaded).  I had severe radiation burn. WAH!  Yeah, it hurt reeeaaaalll bad -- enough to send me into tears over the Thanksgiving weekend and drop some pain killers.

I used the silvadene cream and gauze along with saline soaks as directed and a week later I am 90% healed!  So, the lighter side now is I should be BACK on track and FINISH treatments next week!!!  Just in time to enjoy the upcoming parties. 

Also on the light side….my hair is now growing faster.  I am up to a half inch!!  Yep, the same as it was 48 years ago.  Wow...it's been that long?!?!?  (pun intended)

11/20/2011 - Downhill Race time!

I was given unexpected GREAT NEWS today during radiation (yes, even Sunday's I'l go to keep on track) ----  I start my FINAL 8 boosts tomorrow instead of Wednesday!!! That means I'll be DONE by December 2nd!!!  I am so glad for the news and am on the final downhill race!
This truly is a wonderful Birthday gift.

1971 - sledding down Prince St. in Ramsey

11/17/11 -- no longer skating on thin ice

Radiation #23!!  2 more, then 8 boosters and the WHOLE ORDEAL IS DONE!!!  Well, except for the clearing of the side effects, but I am seeing the end of the trail and am ready to lie down in the field. I am ready to look up into the sky, feel the sun on my face, the breeze through my hair….yes, I don’t ask for much.

I am ready to celebrate Thanksgiving (which my birthday shares this year) and then throw our Neighborhood Christmas Party and then enjoy the rest of the Holidays!  I normally have great patience, but I feel like a little kid waiting for Santa to come down the chimney!!!

I’m no longer skating on thin ice – Napolitano’s Pond has the thick ice and I’m ready to learn to skate again!

11/3/2011 There's Always Tomorrow....

I thought radiation would be a breeze.  I thought “It doesn’t matter. It’s a piece of cake!”  Once again, I am taught that I don’t know everything and cannot predict everything either.

Radiation is a CONSTANT DAILY REMINDER of what I was diagnosed with 8 months ago.  It is a DAILY DRUDGERY of what I’ve had to go through, what I’ve missed, what I’m fighting, what EVERY WOMAN I go through this with is BATTLING. In the radiation waiting room:  I see them cry, I hear their stories, I see their fears…but I also help celebrate THEIR LAST DAY.  Of course, I am envious of them, but know my countdown is in action as well.  When Friday comes, I’ll be ALMOST halfway through.  Next week another woman will be done.  What do we do when we’re done?  We’ve been living, breathing, and eating this for MONTHS!  What do we do when it’s over?  Cry some more?

I still have residual chemo side effects (itching, swelling, moon face…) and don’t feel myself yet.  Will these all go away when radiation is over?  Will my body FINALLY PURGE those damned steroids!??!?!  Will I recognize myself next year?  Will my hair come back red again?  Yes, LOTS of questions that I have to await answers for.

As Clarice the Reindeer sings every year, http://www.xmasfun.com/Lyrics.asp?ID=66:

 There's always tomorrow,

                                     For dreams to come true,
                                    Believe in your dreams
                                    Come what may.

There's always tomorrow,

                                    With so much to do,
                                    And so little time in a day.

We all pretend

                                    The rainbow has an end
                                    And you'll be there my friend someday.

There's always tomorrow,

                                    For dreams to come true,
                                    Tomorrow is not far away.

10/23/2011 DOGZILLA!!

4 down of my 33 Radiations!  No side-effects to speak of – yet.
I had lunch today with one of my BEST MOTIVATORS, cousin Robert! He’s been a great influence on my spirits when they get low.  When they were at their gloomiest (Blog entry 9/6/11), he rallied behind me and promised Fuddruckers Dogzillas when I was ready to start eating again.  Yes, sometimes when you can’t eat anything and you are plied with something juicy and yummy, it DOES HELP your EMOTIONAL STATE!

So, a month later we meet in Paramus and I get to see one of his race cars.  Then we make plans for next summer, which helps my mood more because I completely missed the summer of 2011!

THEN, I get a call from one of my BEST BUDDIES, Elise!  She’s gonna come up North next weekend for a visit!  This truly is a GOOD DAY!!

10/11/2011 I'm FREE!!

Saw a GREAT show on Lifetime last night called, “FIVE.”  It was produced by Jennifer Aniston and included 5 short stories of women diagnosed with breast cancer.  It was VERY tastefully done, had 5 completely different views, cancer types, reactions, and outcomes. 

It started with a story on the day we landed on the moon.  How perfect!!  I REMEMBER that day, watching the black & white TV, so this hit home right off the bat!  It showed how far medicine has come since 1969 and how far we will go. 

I’ve learned it can happen to anyone - just like in the show last night. Those of you reading my blog have learned it can happen to anyone.

October is breast cancer awareness month – let’s all continue to do our parts!  Next year I plan on doing one of these or finding another:

http://makingstrides.acsevents.org/                         http://www.avonwalk.org/index.html

http://ww5.komen.org/

Be sure to click here, http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=2&ThirdPartyClicks=prcnbcf, to help give someone a mammo – EARLY DETECTION!!!!  The way to go!!

‘M FREE!!!! 

10/4/11 Coming to the end of the Road

As my journey winds down, I find myself writing fewer entries – as it should be.  My chemo finished and I am in week #2 after it.  I stopped the steroids, so, unfortunately, my hand-foot syndrome came back a little.  A small angry red spot with blisters (like my planet Jupiter) developed on the back of my left hand that itched and swelled until I took some scripts.  The hand-foot swelling, numbness, itching, and peeling are noticeable, but not debilitating. Now the symptoms are slowly abating.

I went for my radiation simulation on Monday and got the tiniest freckle tattoos I never did see. They are blue I’m told, but I still came back with stories as to why Kurt should NEVER get them.  He winced and eewed, so maybe they worked.  Ok, OK, I know you wanna hear at least one!  The Radiation Tech told me how she sees ALL the older folks tattoos and what I said is correct.  Skin stretches, wrinkles, and goes in different directions.  Skin pigment also changes as we age, so those gorgeous colors FADE.  There was this elderly woman around 68 who fit this bill.  Her tattoo was around her belly button – ORIGINALLY – but now it was a black-green splotch that oozed down to her nether area.  NOT PRETTY!!!!

 
Yes, radiation is now in sight!  October 17^th is my dry run #1 then I start my 5-day-a-week treatments; 25 in all then dry run #2 then 8 “Booster” radiations to follow.  So, lucky 33 is my number! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4SezG4nlIE

My little video...damn it's good!

9/25/2011 Lesson Learned!!

Here it is day 6 after my final round and I am DOING WELL!!!  Side effects are there, BUT less – I AM SO RELIEVED!!!  It took 3 tries, but we finally figured the plan out and it seems to be working!  Tomorrow I get a visit from my buddy Jennifer from Maryland for lunch and I FEEL WELL ENOUGH to receive her!!  YAY!!! 

Jenn's Fall 2009 wedding in Lewes

9/21/2011 Pink Firetruck

LAST CHEMO!!!!  and...my name on a PINK FIRE TRUCK thanks to my cousin, Mary Fitzgerald!!!

9/19/2011 FINAL COUNTDOWN!!

2 more days till my LAST CHEMO TREATMENT!!!!!  What a wonderful phrase! 

9/11/11 Back in the FIGHT!

Still doing good!!!  Bought a new book my lil’ sis, Alice, suggested, Eating Well Through Cancer, and it’s FANTASTIC!!  It gives tips for eating day of chemo, week of and for the other wonderful GI problems you go through.  It gives RECIPES, staples lists and GREAT ADVICE!  Better halfway than never I say!  It’s my new bible cookbook for now and AFTER, cause, yes, it even gives you “After the Treatment Ends” recipes and advice.

I have found a new affection for lentils and soups (yes, smoothies still on the list) and eating small little snack-meals rather than large ones.  I keep to a schedule and the bloating’s been extremely minimal now.  TMI? :)

9/7/11 Eye of the Tiger

OK, I got KO’d in the 3^rd round, but now the Eye of the Tiger has got my back (Thanks, ROBERT!!!) and I’m back in the training ring.  I’ve adopted smoothies (with protein) as a staple this week and less running around in order to conserve the energy I need to continue the fight.

I’m gonna watch Rocky and then Invincible – two GREAT never-say-die movies – this week too!!  Cause, like, it can always be worse and I’m far from screwed on this deal.  Too many people and circumstances remind us each day of just that…my cross is eensy compared to those that others carry.

9/6/11 Third is not a Charm with Chemo

Third is not a Charm with Chemo.  It is an ugly UFC fight of the week and girls aren’t allowed. I admit defeat this week. 

I am going to succumb to your beat down because getting up right now will just get me further abuse.  I’ve been fighting like a girl, but today I’m gonna stop and let you win because sometimes we have to admit defeat.  My gloves and towel are thrown in the center of the ring…

Of course, I won’t perform dog tricks and rollover because that’s not what I do either. So, be advised I’m gonna restore my energies and come back outta my corner.

a few days......Distance makes love difficult sometimes.

8/30/11

Tomorrow is chemo day.  I’m a little concerned because the first 2 rounds brought on surprises, and I’m just not in the mood this time around. Yeah, I have LITTLE to complain about what with families displaced from Hurricane Irene, I know.  BUT, this is MY Blog, so sorry for being self-centered this morning (cause I’m gonna be).

Maybe instead of venting (which my beloved hubby & son have been the brunt of), I’ll pray or make some wishes?  It’s more creative and can be more soothing verbiage than rants…

9/3/11

Into chemo, even a common sore throat must come.  Let’s hope the Z-pack knocks it out (it did).

9/5/11

The NEED to see my Mom & Dad was so great that I, Regina Anne, threw a right proper tantrum. Thank God my husband and son love me or I’d be in the doghouse.  Yes, I got to see them and got the much needed parental hugs and kisses I’ve needed since May!!  I got my night’s sleep under their roof and reset my buttons.  Don’t know what it is about sleeping under your parents’ roof, but it’s soothing and always sets my mood back to norm.  

Distance makes love difficult sometimes.

                                                          

 

8/24/11 Chemo Earthquake

Gotta scootch this one in here because it’s a funny anecdote.

Some of you may know, there was an earthquake in Virginia this day that we felt up here in NJ, http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20110823/NJNEWS/308230027/Earthquake-felt-across-Morris-County-up-down-East-Coast!!  

We had just gotten back from a week of handling  my uncle’s estate in Orlando this morning, when  I had to go to the treatment center to get IV for the horrible allergic reaction cited in my 8/24 entry. Here I am hooked up to an IV along with everyone else in the room when I feel my recliner start to rock forward and back.  Then I notice my IV pole is moving. I look behind me – wall – so no one is pushing me.  I look around the room and see everyone is now moving and rolling.  We all start to giggle and wonder why the whole building is shaking when we hear the nurses start to FLEE!  Yes, fight or flight and they left us all there hooked up to traveling IV poles, doped up on our drugs, rocking back and forth in our recliner chairs.  We were having fun at least. 

Then, of course, the shaking of the building became a little intense and we all started wondering if maybe we should unplug from the walls and flee ourselves!  All along I was telling people it was an earthquake, it had to be.  No, I wasn’t shouting it in a hysterically high-pitched voice. Heck, I was probably the most subdued once there at the moment and was now thinking of Chris!  He was in the parking lot in the car on a conference call.  The sensation started to cease and our chairs stopped racing.  The nurses came back, the little TV’s went on by each patient as they searched for Breaking News, and me?  Smiled broadly and asked, “Did you feel that out there!?!?!” when Chris came back through the treatment room door. 

1967 Xmas - probably my face today TOO!

Hey! Who says chemo can’t be spontaneously FUN?!?!   

8/26/11 Chemo Hurricane

As Hurricane Irene approaches, I can’t help but remember how Hurricane Charley tried to devastate us 7 years ago on our wedding day!  We persevered and had a grand time then, but somehow I don’t think the same will happen this time around. You see, Charley went from a CAT 4 to a tropical storm once it got to NJ (still bad winds, but not horrible).  Irene, will strike us as a CAT 1 they are saying and have more landfall.  Again, we shall see, but either way you wanna be prepared.   Yes, I’m tying this into cancer and chemo…

There are 5 categories for hurricanes, http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/sshws_table.shtml?large, the higher the number, the worse the recipients are.  Same goes for cancer.  There are only 4 stages of cancer, but the first 3 stages have an A & B levels as well.   Each stage/category is more devasting than the previous one.  I feel very lucky to be in the lower stage 2 especially since my cancer was completely removed. 

I endure the devasatating side effects of my storm

I ride-out the emotional windfalls

I soak up the many drops of water down my face

I smile up at the sun when it shines and when it doesn’t

I am glad for our preparations & research

I thank God for my Love Ones & Supporters!

8/24/11 DEFINITION OF INSANITY

Yes, it’s been almost TEN DAYS since my last entry.  Why?  Well, lemme tell yah! :)

The day after my last entry, I started having a nasty allergic reaction to what I call a chemical spill.  When I received my last chemo treatment, some of it leaked into my tissues (yeah, boo-boo on phlebotomist’s part).  So, a few days later I got a chemical burn on the back of my right hand (pic below) that got worse as the days went by.  It got redder, hotter, and developed blisters.  Course at the time I had NO IDEA what it was, so I called the office and was told it’s just an allergic reaction to put some cream on it and take Benadryl.

Whelp, after the blisters got worse, I figured it was MORE than that, but had to go to Orlando to close out my Uncle’s estate.  So, I went and hoped for the best.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I should know better!  By the weekend I had full-blown Hand-Foot Syndrome!!  My Feet were itchy and swollen, but not as bad as my hands. My hands were like marshmallows, I couldn’t close them,  and they HURT like the dickens!  They burned and itched to the point of NO RELIEF!!!  The way I was itching and wringing my hands, Chris said I looked demented.  Well, I FELT DEMENTED!! 

DEFINITION OF INSANITY:  Doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.

So, I called my Dr. and made an appointment for Tuesday the 23^rd when we got back.  She took great pity on me and gave me IV meds and some prescriptions.  Here I am a day later ABLE TO TYPE and close my hands!!!  What a relief.  Thank God for Medication!!!

So, now back to blogging and probating my Uncle’s estate.  TTFN!!

8/15/11 ...Make Lemonade!

Feeling “normal” these past few days!!!  Latest labs came back good and didn’t need fluids for dehydration this week.  Things are looking up!  Well, for me, but not the family.  One of our bearded dragons died suddenly today (seems to be a theme).  Poor Zoto…we cried over your passing.

 When Life Gives You Lemoas....

Friend Kathy F. sent this to me (very applicable to MANY WOMEN I know!!):

She can deal with stress and carry heavy burdens.
She smiles when she feels like screaming, and she sings when she feels like crying.
She cries when she's happy and laughs when she's afraid. Her love is unconditional.
There's only one thing wrong with her. She forgets what she's worth!
Pass this to every beautiful woman you know. Remind her that she's unique.

Our Zoto...best little Dragon a Boy could have.

8/13/11 I FEEL GOOD!!!

Here it is…the SECOND day in a row I FEEL GOOD!!!  Second day in a row I SLEPT!!!!
Like Garfield sings,  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4uRtB3unFU&feature=related  

I even feel good enough to go OUT today!!  Going to see The Help with my buddy, Missy, then (if I’m not exhausted) to the Chatham Tea Shop with Betty.  Tomorrow is my SEVEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!  We’ve been friends for 15 years and in LOVE for 10, so LOTS to celebrate this weekend!   I am HAPPY to be ALIVE and with those I LOVE and who Love me!

8/11/11 Peace for my Uncle

I woke up knowing I'd hear some news...
My dearest Uncle Bobby is finally at Peace.  God Rest His Soul.  I will miss him dearly.

8/10/11 I'm STILL STANDING!!!!

After 72 hours, I finally feel better!!  It was rough going, but I survived and I’M STILL STANDING!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHwVBirqD2s&ob=av2e
               Don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did!
               Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid

Slept over 8 hours too – amazing how one can feel after your body has time to catch up.
Got some more phone calls from loved ones and a surprise package from cousin, Susan!!  A Fight Like A Girl cap!!  How she found it!?!?!?  I’ll never know, but I LOVE IT!!!

 

8/9/11 Tomorrow is another day!

A VERY MISERABLE morning – I even blubbered like a child I was so uncomfortable & in pain. My poor son, there to watch my meltdown while trying to calm me so I don’t further stress my body. I love him so much! It’s hard to stay positive all the time. This as one of my moments.

Then, in whisks this beautiful brunette woman, with hugs and solace…AND A GIFT that she made herself!!!  We cried together and then I and my body calmed down – for the first time today. What a friend she is, this anonymous Lady. Yeah, you KNOW who you are!

So, off to do the weekly labs. CBC’s are good, platelets at 261, but not too bad. Of course, after my 2 days of agony, I am once again dehydrated.  So, another IV and more fluids and I’m back home not feeling as horrible.  I have a baked potato and don’t feel horrible.  I pass out around 7pm from sheer exhaustion.

As Scarlett O’Hara said, “Tomorrow is another day!”

8/8/11 Weebles Wobble, but I Won't Fall DOWN!!

Remember in the Bugs Bunny or Tom & Jerry cartoons, Bugsy or Jerry would stop, turn round with an old-fashioned water spritzer and fill their antagonist up with water?  Then we’d see the recipient of gallons of water forced down their throats wobbling back and forth like a Weeble? 
Kinda like this, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQOY-DIM9VI?
Yeah, I spent a whole day yesterday and this morning like the WEEBLE!!  The pain?!?!  NOT NORMAL!!  So, a quick, late-night text to the Dr. some Magnesium Citrate, and, well, I am slowly giving birth to quintuplets it feels!
Oh what a RELIEF IT IS!!!!!

Got a call from one of the UPS Musketeers tonight.  What a GREAT SURPRISE!!  It’s fantastic to know people and friends are reading my blog and responding by reaching out!!  We all get so caught up in everything we do , are doing, are going to do that we forget what it’s like to brighten someone’s day by just saying, “HI!” –with a smile of course.  I’ve been so cloistered since chemo began that I haven’t had exposure to do so myself.  So, HI!!! To all my friends and loved ones out there!!

   

8/6/11 Hey, I got this one for yah!

Day 3 after round 2 (yes, it’s a count-up after a countdown) and I’m feeling side effects, but nowhere near the pain I was the first time around.  Progress?  Or is my body saying, “Yeah. I got this one, Reggie.  You sit back & lemme handle the harder pain.  I’ll just numb yah up to it.”  The wakefulness becomes a routine after Round 1 – waking every night (rather morning) at 2:30’ish AM with gastric pain and bloating…not fun, but amazing what you get used to.  I get to read my books then – LOVE READING!!!!!  Just read, Mary Hooper’s, Fallen Grace, and Mary Higgins Clark’s, I’ll Walk Alone.  I’m also going back and forth between books to Katherine Hepburn’s, Me.  All 3 books were fantastic!  I REALLY LOVE Kate’s autobiography.  I believe we have the same flare for writing.  Just say as it comes.

On another note…my Beloved Uncle Bobby hangs on another day down in Ormond Beach.  He’s in a lovely Hospice room near the beach.  Thank GOD he has such beautiful friends who have been visiting him often!!!!!!  Yesterday, Drew & his mother, Sue, went to visit him.  They brought him some of his homey items so he has familiar things around him – even one of his NY Yankees Bears to cuddle with.  They read the letter I faxed over to him as well.  This makes me feel good.  I don’t know where I’d be without them – if it weren’t for them…well…I won’t go there.

 Signs of TRUE FRIENDSHIP:

• Stick BY ME through it ALL – even the sicknesses, hardships and other negative times
• Pick me up when I’m down - Don’t kick me  
• Listen to me when I need someone to hear me and lend me that shoulder for crying when needed
•   KNOW that I am THERE WITH YOU for EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE TIMES TOO!

Me & Uncle Bobby 1971 - Ramsey Pool

Day after Round 2 - BIG CHANGE!!!!

8/4/11

I believe my cocktails were changed, because I slept through the night and actually woke up at 8am!!  I’m still awake at 4pm!!!  Amazing!!!  Chris gave me my Neulasta shot around 2pm, so those lovely side effects will come later on.  Other than that, I’m feeling MUCH better today than I did day 2 of Round 1.  AMAZING!!!  Not hungry, but I have had lots to drink and a couple pieces of bread (strange – I only can eat FRESH bread as bagged loaves seem to upset my tummy).

On a lighter note, Yankees are still kicking ass and face their bitter rivals, the Red Sox this weekend!

My Uncle’s FAVORITE TEAM!!! 

CHEMO - ROUND 2

8/3/11

From: Reggie
Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2011 9:51 PM
Subject: Round 2

Round 2 Chemo today!  Got the Benadryl & Ativan up front so I went to lah-lah land within the first hour.  Drugs are amazing things – my body NEEDS the sleep so I welcomed it.

Of course, no trip to ANY facility is boring when the “Reggie Show” is in town:

I tried to fight the IV potions by talking and had Breda laughing with my slurred tones and non-sensical quips.  Then I said I think I’m gonna pass out now and did mid-sentence.  So, I conked out with my mouth open and everything.

Next my chair got bumped when I was in a deep sleep (accidentally of course) and I startled awake like a baby would: arms & legs shooting forward and up (I sit in a recliner) with a surprised look on my face.  The nurse apologized and asked if I was all right, to which I replied, “I was sound asleep.” And proceeded to conk out again. Yes, mouth open and everything! J  I heard the laughter as I slipped back down the spiral stairs to Sleepytown.

I woke briefly to see Breda back from the cafeteria where she giggled about getting chili and a bagel (not her usual fair AT ALL).  I asked if it was goooood, she giggled again & I said that it was worth the points then (Weight Watchers). And I proceeded to zonk out again, but on a lighter cloud because once again I heard laughter (yes at my expense) and a faraway voice say, “Of course she’s out cause now it’s time to go.” More giggling in the background.

Yes, I can make anything fun for others! ;P

Got home around 1:30pm, ate some homemade chicken soup (cause I think ahead), apparently typed an email or 3 then went to bed (till 9pm).  So, daughter, sister, niece, friend is doing oK today and ready for the week to come!!

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Sometimes yah just gotta SLEEP!

8/2/11

Got 8 hrs. sleep after Chris’ nighttime cocktail.  YAY!  Still have bags under my eyes, but at least I’m not as miserable.

More dealing with Uncle Bobby’s situation and stressing to the Case Mgr. & Hospice that today is the last coherent day for me since tomorrow is chemo.  I tell them I won’t be able to make decisions till Monday, so they hustle and bustle (for them anyway) and after mucho research and phone calls by ME we get my uncle placed in a Hospice Home in Ormond Beach.  At least he’ll be made comfortable.

Chemo again tomorrow.  Back to square one.  At least I have my Uncle placed now.  Maybe I’ll sleep?  NOT!!!!  It’s 2:53AM and I’m WIDE AWAKE!!

Restless Days and SLeepless Nights!

7/30/11

Another 3 hrs only of sleep-less nights

8/1/11

Another 4 hrs only of sleep-less nights

I go chrome dome then Gangsta AND couldn’t resist Mrs. Clean, Mrs. Clean!!!  Now I need a photo with the tootsie pop and a sidekick named Crocker!!  How many men have heard their wife say, "Honey?  Can you shave my head?  I can't stand the sporatic bits of hair!"

THe BUZZ

7/28/11
Buzzed my head down to ¼” to alleviate the pain – it worked. By the time I took a shower this evening, the hair was coming out in droves so I’m glad I did it! My head still hurts though and I look like my brother’s Air Force entry photo from 1978.

 

 

Hair BUZZ

7/26/11                               

Whelp, my friends were right…having your hair come out in CLUMPS is NOT pleasant.  So, after pacing for about an hour, I take my hubby’s advice and go see Cookie at the Plaza Barbers. Can you say THIRD GRADE?!?!?

So, now I’m dealing with my epidermis feeling like it’s been tenderized. Why?  My guess, the hair follicles are being killed and pushed upward through my pores so all this pressure HURTS!!!  Hurts a little less with the shorter hair though.

WEEK 2 POST--CHEMO

7/21 - 7/22
Feeling more hydrated now and drinking LOTS of Gatorade!!! Still not up to par though – bloating continues along with the other gastro side effects (YUCK!) and I’m still wicked sensitive to the heat. 

I get my 2^nd saline fluids on Friday 7/22 so I’m “set” for the weekend.  Yeah, I feel a lot better!!  NOW, however, I’m dealing with my SKIN hurting!!  Strange sensation, liked I’m bruising all over, and dry tearing eyes.  Could this be the start of the dreaded hair loss?  I think it is since the bruised feeling are where I have hair.  Here comes the loop-de-loop on the roller coaster. WOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

7/23/11

I go for a short morning outage with Betty to the Arboretum Iris show and sale.  Yeah, flowers will get me outta the house anytime.  Betty drives (bless her) and we have a hard time picking all the tubers out, but we somehow manage.  I’m happy with our purchases, but now I’m strangely tired.  Nah, not strange at all!  We get back home and I’m done for the day.  Back to bed!

7/25/11

So, was this enough for me to be going through?  Another...NOT!!!!  I get a call that my Uncle Bobby (Mom’s brother) isn’t answering his phone and no one’s heard from him since Saturday (3 days).  Long story short – after the police break in, they find him on the floor confused.  Let’s just say – I will go through a week as his POA and decision maker on his short journey Home.  I wanna go down sooo bad, but cannot due to chemo.  To quote the Madagascar Penguins, “Well this Sux!”